Freelancers: Falcon & Phoenix

by Thackston, Anthony

  “Let’s see them fill up, now.” Daken tosses the machine gun back into the car. Big Wang does the same with the rifle and the two walk slowly toward the gas station. They dart their heads back and forth, searching for any movement.

  “Think they’re in there?” Big Wang asks.

  “Natives could have got one of them. Run out of gas and hide in there to lick their wounds."

  Daken is the first to enter the gas station, walking through the front door. Big Wang enters through the missing wall. It takes little time for either of them to realize there’s no real place to hide amidst the overturned shelves. Big Wang walks to the register counter and looks behind it. Nothing. Daken moves to the bathroom. It, too, is empty. The only place left are the old beverage coolers, long since emptied out. Even the racks that once held soda, water and beers are fallen to the ground. Daken opens one of the doors and sticks his head inside. No signs of life.

  “No one could hide in here.” He heads back for the door with Big Wang following close behind him.

  The three on the roof listen to the sounds of movement below them. Their breathing is slow and shallow. The glass crunching under Daken and Big Wang’s boots is almost deafening in the silence of the night air.

  “They must be further down the road,” Big Wang says as he nears the dune buggy.

  “I don’t care what happens with the girl. It’s Falcon we want.”

  “And my brother.”

  “That’s your problem.” Daken pulls something from the back of his vest. He tosses it into the stalled car before walking back to his truck.

  Falcon aims his pistol at Daken. “If I take him out now, we can leverage the brother with the brother.”

  “Do it.” Phoenix whispers.

  “What if you miss?” Little Wang asks.

  Falcon’s only answer is to pull the hammer of the gun back. He takes a deep breath and follows Daken till he gets to the door of his truck. Falcon starts to squeeze the trigger when a large explosion forces all three of them to duck back down. Their car goes up several feet off the ground in a ball of fire.

  Falcon pops back up only to see Daken’s truck moving past the burning wreck. Little Wang watches as his brother drives away, leaving him with the Freelancers.

  Phoenix stands and watches as the car burns.

  “Now what?” Little Wang asks.

  Phoenix walks back to the building. “Both of you, come here.”

  Falcon and Little Wang look at each other, wondering what it is she wants. Hesitantly, they follow her to the roof of the building.

  “I’ve been shot at, nearly pulled out of a car and in one too many wrecks for one day. I’m tired. I want to sleep,” she says.

  “That’s a good idea,’ Falcon agrees.

  “But in order to do that, I need to know I don’t have to worry about you running off.” She cuffs Falcon's wrist. “And you killing me in my sleep.” She grabs Little Wang’s wrist and drags them both to a steel pipe coming up out of the roof and curving back down into it. She puts the other half of the hand cuffs through the upside U and secures Little Wang’s wrist, cuffing he and Falcon together. “There. Now I know you can’t go anywhere.”

  “What if I kill him in his sleep?” Little Wang says.

  “Your Emperor wants him. And besides, I’m letting him keep the gun.”

  “And here, I thought we were making strides,” Falcon says as he sits down on the roof.

  “I’m just ensuring our deal sticks. Now get some sleep. We’re on foot tomorrow. You don’t want to be tired if we run into more Marauders.” She lays down and stares up at the night sky full of bright stars. It wasn’t that long ago that it was full of dark storm clouds. Phoenix exhales and lets her eye lids get heavy. “Please don’t let us run into any more Marauders.”

  16

  The morning sun peeks out from behind the trees, once again hitting Falcon in the eyes. He squeezes them shut and turns his head to the side before gradually opening them. The next thing he feels is the cold steel of the hand cuffs. He doesn’t even bother looking at them as he sits up and reaches around to his lower back, sore from the battles of yesterday. He glances at Phoenix on the other side of the roof. “At least someone slept well.”

  “Who slept well?” She rolls over on her side and pushes herself up. Her hands also go to her back, sore for the same reasons.

  Falcon tugs at the cuffs, pulling Little Wang’s arm into the pipe, startling him awake. He darts up, expecting the worst.

  “Calm down. How’s your back?” Falcon asks.

  “It’s fine. Why?”

  Falcon and Phoenix share the same ‘Of course’ expression.

  “Can we be done with these, now?” Falcon jerks the cuffs, again. “And maybe for the rest of the trip?”

  Phoenix walks to the two of them. “I can’t promise for the rest of the trip.” She unlocks the cuffs, releasing them.

  The three of them walk back onto the awning. There is no sign of Big Wang or Daken. Only smoldering remains of the car. Just another burned out wreck of twisted metal to add to the road.

  “On foot, huh?” Falcon pulls his gun and ejects the magazine. He flicks out three bullets before the magazine is empty. “Plus one in the chamber.”

  Phoenix draws her gun and checks the ammo. “I have two rounds left. Nothing chambered.”

  “Six bullets and no car.” Falcon puts the gun back in his belt. “That sounds about right.”

  “What if more Marauders show up?” Little Wang asks.

  Falcon starts walking to the edge of the building. “They’ll catch us. Tie us up. Beat us. Cook us then kill us. Not the preferred order but…”

  “He’s kidding, right?” Little Wang turns to Phoenix, genuinely worried.

  “I don’t have a lot of experience with Marauders. I don’t know,” she says, unaffected by Falcon’s answer as she follows him to the edge.

  “You see that?” He points forward.

  “Is that a bus?” Phoenix asks.

  “That is a bus.”

  “There’s a vehicle I never thought I’d be happy to see and tired of at the same time.” She crouches to the edge and turns around to lower herself to the propane cage.

  “Let’s go,” Falcon says to a worried Little Wang who reluctantly walks to the edge and follows Phoenix.

  Falcon’s boots hit the ground as Phoenix and Little Wang walk to the bus. Just like the Marauder’s, this one lies on its side. The front faces a decline that opens up into a field.

  “Got any ideas?” Phoenix looks at the vehicle. She walks around to the back and pulls the door open. It’s empty, save for the driver’s seat.

  The three of them step inside. Dirt and grass sit in place of the long busted out windows. Phoenix looks at the ceiling. On it are the words [TO SALVATION].

  “War scared people,” Falcon says.

  “Where did they think they were gonna go?” Phoenix asks.

  “Anywhere there wasn’t fighting.”

  “The whole country was fighting,” Little Wang adds.

  “I wonder if they made it,” Phoenix touches the painted words.

  Falcon makes his way to the steering wheel. “ Back then? To a place with no fighting?” He finds the wires and starts messing with them. “Point the way.” He strikes wires together and the engine starts then stutters out. “Come on. Come on.” He tries again. This time it works. The engine turns over, sputtering a little but Falcon pushes on the gas pedal, revving it a few times until the motor idles, steadily. “That’s one problem solved.” He releases the wires and the engine shudders off. “Now we just gotta get her on her feet.”

  The three of them climb back out of the bus and walk to the front. “We can’t push it,” Phoenix says.

  Little Wang looks at the tires then he looks at the decline. The field goes off as far as he can see. Destroyed power lines run back toward the Capital City. “I have an idea. We can drive it right off of this little hill.”

  “It’s on its side,”
Falcon tells him.

  “But if we can get the wheels to spin, it might nudge it just enough to get it to roll to all four tires.”

  “Or it might just roll onto its other side. I’m tired of being in rolling cars,” Falcon says.

  Phoenix walks down the decline and gets a good look at the front of the bus. “He’s right.” She walks back up. “This thing is angled just right. If the tires can spin it toward there, it might just roll upright.”

  “You study physics before the war?” Falcon asks.

  “You got any better ideas?”

  Falcon stares at her, his mind empty of thoughts on the matter. He turns to Little Wang, wondering if this will really work. “Fine.”

  “Get it started and work the wheels a little. Try to get it to lift up some.” Little Wang runs down the decline and stands in front of the bus. “When I tell you, turn the wheels to the right as hard as you can.”

  Falcon looks at Phoenix one more time as though expecting her to agree with him.

  “If it doesn’t work, we’re still on foot,” she says.

  He runs back to the rear door and climbs inside the bus. Phoenix turns her attention to Little Wang who appears excited about his idea. He’s just hopeful he won’t have to walk.

  Falcon strikes the wires again and gets the bus started. He twists them together and revs the engine. Once he’s got it idling, he takes a deep breath and puts his hand on the gear stick. He turns the wheels back and forth and the bus rises, gradually, with each turn. He looks out the front window and sees Little Wang motioning for him to start. Falcon puts the bus into drive and slowly hits the accelerator. He hears the tires rubbing against the grass and pushes a little harder. The bus lurches forward, slightly. He gives it a little more gas and the rear of the bus starts moving to the side.

  “Stop!” Little Wang shouts. “Not like that!”

  “Falcon, stop!” Phoenix yells.

  He can’t hear either of them but he can see Wang waving his arms up and down. Thinking he’s telling him to really go for it, Falcon floors the gas pedal and the rear end of the bus slowly circles around. Falcon looks back to see the world moving by instead of away. At least it’s moving.

  The slow movement gets a little faster. Phoenix leaps out of the way before the bus slams into her.

  “That’s the wrong way!” Little Wang shouts one more time. Just as before, his words fall on deaf ears.

  Or, at least, ears deafened by the sound of the bus engine. The long vehicle swings around to the decline. Falcon watches as Phoenix runs to the front of the bus and motions for him to turn the wheel. He cuts it to the right just as the rear tires comes to the edge of the decline. The large vehicle pops up a little as the rear wheels move off of the grass and hang over the decline. Gravity does the rest and the weight of the bus carries it downward. Falcon stabilizes himself and keeps the accelerator pressed while the bus, slowly, rights itself.

  “It’s gonna roll!” Phoenix shouts. She makes circular motions with her arms.

  Falcon turns the steering wheel to the left just in time for all four tires to hit the ground. He quickly sits down in the seat and pushes the gas pedal with his foot, driving the bus down the hill. Once on flat land, Falcon releases the gas pedal and lets the large vehicle coast down to the field.

  Little Wang and Phoenix run to the bus door.

  Falcon opens the thin double doors. “All aboard.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Little Wang says as he and Phoenix step inside.

  “It worked, didn’t it? Now I just hope it can make it up the hill."

  Falcon hits the gas and turns the bus around. It’s slow going but the big passenger vehicle makes it back up to flat land, through the parking lot and onto the main road. Phoenix walks to the back to close the rear door. She pauses to watch as their previous car continues to smolder.

  “I hope this thing has enough gas in it,” she says loudly.

  Falcon looks at the gauges. “Unless these things are broken, we have a little less than half a tank.”

  Phoenix walks to the front of the vehicle and sits down against the wall. “It will have to do.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” Falcon tells her.

  The bus hauls as fast as it can go down the empty road. As they pass a couple of boarded up restaurants, Phoenix stomach growls. “I didn’t realize I haven’t eaten in a while.”

  “Should have taken the Emperor up on his offer,” Little Wang says.

  “Give me a break,” Falcon ignores Little Wang and grips the steering wheel.

  “What is it?” Phoenix stands and looks toward the front window. She sees two vehicles on the side of the road ahead. Both vehicles start to pull onto the road as they pass.

  Falcon’s eyes follow the raised truck and lock with Daken’s as they pass by.

  17

  Big Wang pulls up along the right side of the slower bus. Little Wang sticks his head out of one of the many windows and shouts, “Brother!”

  Phoenix sticks her gun out a bus window and fires off a shot at Big Wang. The bullet ricochets off a steel bar on Big Wang’s vehicle. With only the roll cage for any kind of protection, Big Wang knows he is easier to hit. He eases off the gas a little, creating more distance between him and Phoenix’s gun fire.

  “We got five shots left.” Falcon takes out his gun and slides it toward the back of the bus.

  Little Wang’s eyes go right to it. Before he can move, Phoenix picks it up and holsters hers. Falcon steers toward Big Wang, forcing him off the road but the dune buggy takes to the grassy off-road terrain with ease. The older brother quickly gets his car back on the road and pulls out his gun to fire at the bus's tires.

  “Not this again.” Falcon swerves left and right to avoid the bullets. Unfortunately, the swerving also causes some abuse to the bus passengers. With little to actually hold onto, the swerving knocks Phoenix and Little Wang back and forth in the open space of the large passenger transport.

  Daken pulls up ahead of the dune buggy and gets right alongside the bus. Phoenix rushes to one of the windows on the driver’s side and takes aim at the big truck. She fires two shots, shattering the window. Three bullets left. In place of the window, Phoenix finds herself staring down both barrels of the sawed-off aimed right at her. She ducks just as Daken pulls both triggers. A hale of scatter shot peppers the side of the bus. Only a few of the steel balls make it through, burying themselves in the interior metal of the vehicle. Phoenix pops back up only to see the rear of Daken’s truck as he pulls it up alongside the driver’s window of the bus.

  Falcon watches as Daken’s window lines up with his own and he is once again locking stares with the man. Daken smiles while Falcon can only watch him reload the sawed off. Falcon turns his sight to the road then back at Daken who flicks the barrel of the gun closed. He holds it up, aimed square at Falcon. With the type of ammo he’s using, there’s no real way to miss. Not at this range. And there’s no way to duck without risking a wreck to the bus which would just put him back into the same position.

  With few options, Falcon turns the wheel, sharply, into Daken’s truck. The raised vehicle is too heavy to knock off the road the way he did Big Wang, but it’s enough to make Daken drop his gun. Now Falcon has a chance.

  Daken turns his wheel toward the bus and the two battle for the upper hand, neither of them getting it for the weight of the vehicles.

  One of the rear windows blows out from Big Wang’s gun fire. Phoenix runs to the back to return fire of her own.

  “Save the bullets!” Falcon yells. “Fire only when you’re sure!”

  She watches through the busted out window as Big Wang lines up another shot. She ducks as bullets fly through the windows. “Keep your head down, then,” she tells Falcon as she continues running to the back of the bus.

  Daken looks over his shoulder, then back at Falcon before he turns away from the bus and slows down.

  “What are you doing?” Falcon mutters.

  Little Wang
watches as the big truck falls farther behind the bus until it’s running along the rear side. Daken cuts the wheel to the right, slamming into the bus, causing it to fish tail.

  Falcon turns into the fish tail, keeping the bus under control and all four wheels on the road. “I worked too hard to get this thing right-side up,” he mutters.

  Daken pulls away then comes in again, slamming into the bus.

  With determination, Falcon maintains his control. “I’m not about to roll in another car.”

  Daken slows again. Phoenix watches as the jacked-up truck pulls in front of Big Wang to get right behind the bus, letting a little distance fall between the two vehicles. “What’s he doing?” Phoenix asks.

  “I don’t know. But get ready!” Falcon yells.

  “Ready for what—”

  A large grappling hook blasts through the window of the back door and lands on the floor of the bus. Concern grips Phoenix. “Falcon.”

  Falcon looks over his shoulder. “What was—What is that?”

  “Looks like a hook. He’s gonna try to anchor us.” Phoenix watches as the large grapple slowly slides back and up to the window. Its four sides come to rest securely on the door.

  Falcon notices white smoke suddenly appearing from Daken’s tires. “Hang on!”

  With Daken’s foot on his brakes and the bus still moving forward at its top speed, the hook jerks the bus as it rips off the back door. Phoenix and Little Wang cover their heads, not sure of what’s next after the unexpected surprise.

  Under such an attack, they can’t keep their heads covered for long. Phoenix is the first to look back up. She kneels into the center aisle of the bus and looks out as the bus door hits the road. Daken’s truck rolls right over it before something cuts the cable holding the hook. She braces herself against the wall and takes aim at Daken